‘Super puppies’

Tom Loy of Tallgrass Gordon Setters sits by the whelping box, where a litter of three-day-old setter puppies navigate their tiny universe from behind closed eyes. One by one, Loy lifts the puppies from the box and runs them through a series of brief exercises. When he is finished, the puppies go back into the box and crawl close to their mother.

Those lessons continue for the next 13 days, and while the exercises have nothing to do with bird hunting—­­at least, not directly—they effectively teach Loy’s setter puppies how to manage stress. Years later, this early training results in dogs that are less timid, more social, and better equipped to handle the stressful situations that any working dog encounters in the field.

The program Loy uses was pioneered by the US military as part of an effort to improve the performance of service dogs. Research shows that shortly after birth, puppies and other mammals are particularly responsive to stimuli, and that early stimulation can improve overall health. Exposing puppies to stimuli has been shown to increase brain function, which boosts overall confidence while reducing stress-linked behaviors such as biting or growling. Originally dubbed “bio-sensor training,” these exercises are now known as the Super Puppy program.